Former New York mayor Ed Koch became famous during his time leading the city for bringing New Yorkers into the governing process by asking, simply: “How am I doing?” Newsrooms can use PIN to do just that: Signal you are willing to listen, to ask about what you’re missing, and to invite your community into your coverage.

Looking for new ways to tell the stories of your listeners? Why not ask them to share their lives — in sound? See how a handful of newsrooms have approached the challenge of using the sounds their communities have shared.

What if, instead of shaking your fist at the policy-makers yammering on TV, you could bring your own best ideas for solving America’s problems to the table? WAMU radio is offering that chance with their new Big Fix project.